From; www.france-science.org...=9&LNG=us
“5: MARS EXPRESS RADAR DEPLOYMENT POSTPONED
The MARSIS team has advised ESA to delay the deployment of the MARSIS radar instrument on board Mars Express, scheduled for this week. New and
improved computer models suggest that, during deployment, the radar booms may swing back and forth with larger amplitudes than previously expected. If
this happened, the booms might come too close to the spacecraft body. Further simulations and tests are under way to better understand the situation.
Based on the results, expected within a few weeks, ESA will decide when and how to activate MARSIS. The two main radar booms are 20-metre long hollow
cylinders, of 2.5 centimetres diameter, folded up in a box like a concertina (accordion). When the box is opened, the elastic energy of the compressed
glass-fibre booms will let them unfold like a jack-in-the-box. The deployment procedure of each boom is expected to last about 10 minutes. MARSIS will
study the sub-surface of Mars to a depth of a few kilometres. The instrument's antennas will send radio waves towards the planet and analyze how they
are reflected by any surface that they encounter. In this way, MARSIS can investigate the sub-surface mineralogical composition and reveal the
presence of any underground reservoir of water or ice. [ESA 04/29/2004]”

Well, we have another physical probe “hijacking” (or at least – the data from MARSIS) in progress. The Europeans should know better than to look for
water and artificial structures. Our friendly neighbourhood Agency has firmly put them in their place.

Even if they “allow MARSIS” to be deployed now, the damage (to publically available data) has already been done...

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